An embodiment of the present invention pertains to an electronic device such as a passive matrix display, an alpha-numeric display, a detector array, or a solar cell array. The electronic device includes multiple organic optoelectronic devices and one or more of these organic optoelectronic devices are protected from shorts. Each of the one or more organic optoelectronic devices that is protected from a short has one of its electrodes coupled to a first current limiting device and optionally has another electrode coupled to a second current limiting device. Also, one of the electrodes of that organic optoelectronic device, the first current limiting device, or the second current limiting device is patterned.
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23. An organic light emitting diode integrity checking system to disable questionable OLEDs within an oled display, comprising:
an oled testing system;
an oled, coupled to the oled testing system, having a top electrode and a bottom electrode; and
a current limiting device coupled to a particular one of the electrodes of the oled,
wherein the oled testing system reverse biases the oled and if the oled testing system detects a reverse leakage current higher than a preset value, then it outputs a current at a rate that causes the current limiting device to prevent current flow across the oled.
13. A protected organic optoelectronic device, comprising:
a substrate;
a bottom electrode that includes
a first portion of the bottom electrode on the substrate;
a current limiting device on the first portion of the bottom electrode; and
a second portion of the bottom electrode on the current limiting device,
wherein the current limiting device includes
a dielectric between the first portion and the second portion of the bottom electrode; and
a fuse on the dielectric tat couples together the first portion and the second portion of the bottom electrode;
at least one organic layer on the bottom electrode; and
a top electrode on the at least one organic layer.
7. A protected organic optoelectronic device, comprising:
a substrate;
a bottom electrode on the substrate;
at least one organic layer on the bottom electrode;
a top electrode including
a first portion of the top electrode;
a current limiting device on the first portion of the top electrode; and
a second portion of the top electrode on the current limiting device,
wherein the current limiting device includes
a fuse on the first portion of the top electrode; and
a dielectric on the first portion of the top electrode that surrounds the fuse,
wherein the fuse couples together the first portion of the top electrode and the second portion of the top electrode.
1. An electronic device, comprising:
a plurality of organic optoelectronic devices, a particular one of the plurality of organic optoelectronic devices having a top electrode and a bottom electrode; and
at least one current limiting device,
wherein at least one of: (1) a first one of the at least one current limiting device is coupled to the top electrode, and (2) a second one of the at least one current limiting device is coupled to the bottom electrode, and
wherein one of the electrodes of the particular one of the plurality of organic optoelectronic devices, the first one of the at least one current limiting device, or the second one of the at least one current limiting device is patterned.
26. A protected organic optoelectronic device, comprising:
an organic optoelectronic device; and
at least one of: (1) a first diode, and (2) a second diode,
wherein the first diode if present is coupled to the organic optoelectronic device, and the second diode if present is coupled to the organic optoelectronic device,
wherein the organic optoelectronic device coupled to one of the diodes includes
a substrate;
a first electrode on the substrate;
an organic stack on the first electrode;
a second electrode on the organic stack;
a n-type material of the diode on the substrate and coupled to the first electrode; and
a p-type material of the diode on the substrate and coupled to the n-type material.
18. A protected organic optoelectronic device, comprising:
an organic optoelectronic device; and
at least one of: (1) a first diode, and (2) a second diode,
wherein the first diode if present is coupled to the organic optoelectronic device, and the second diode if present is coupled to the organic optoelectronic device,
wherein the organic optoelectronic device coupled to one of the diodes includes
a first electrode on the substrate;
an organic stack on the first electrode;
a second electrode on the organic stack;
a p-type material of the diode on the substrate; and
a n-type material of the diode on the substrate and coupled to the p-type material,
wherein the second electrode is also on the p-type material of the diode.
2. The electronic device of
a first portion of the top electrode; the current limiting device on the first portion of the top electrode; and
a second portion of the top electrode on the current limiting device,
wherein the current limiting device includes
a fuse on the first portion of the top electrode; and
a dielectric on the first portion of the top electrode that surrounds the fuse,
wherein the fuse couples together the first portion of the top electrode and the second portion of the top electrode.
3. The electronic device of
a first portion of the bottom electrode;
the current limiting device on the first portion of the bottom electrode; and
a second portion of the bottom electrode on the current limiting device,
wherein the current limiting device includes
a dielectric between the first portion and the second portion of the bottom electrode; and
a fuse on the dielectric that couples together the first portion and the second portion of the bottom electrode.
4. The electronic device of
wherein at least one of: (1) a first one of the at least one diode is coupled to the top electrode, and (2) a second one of the at least one diode is coupled to the bottom electrode.
5. The electronic device of
6. The electronic device of
8. The protected organic optoelectronic device of
9. The protected organic optoelectronic device of
10. The protected organic optoelectronic device of
11. The protected organic optoelectronic device of
12. The protected organic optoelectronic device of
14. The protected organic optoelectronic device of
15. The protected organic optoelectronic device of
16. The protected organic optoelectronic device of
17. The protected organic optoelectronic device of
19. The protected organic optoelectronic device of
20. The protected organic optoelectronic device of
21. The protected organic optoelectronic device of
22. The protected organic optoelectronic device of
24. The integrity checking system of
a first portion of the top electrode;
the current limiting device on the first portion of the top electrode; and
a second portion of the top electrode on the current limiting device,
wherein the current limiting device includes
a fuse on the first portion of the top electrode; and
a dielectric on the first portion of the top electrode that surrounds the fuse,
wherein the fuse couples together the first portion of the top electrode and the second portion of the top electrode.
25. The integrity checking system of
a first portion of the bottom electrode;
the current limiting device on the first portion of the bottom electrode; and
a second portion of the bottom electrode on the current limiting device,
wherein the current limiting device includes
a dielectric between the first portion and the second portion of the bottom electrode; and
a fuse on the dielectric that couples together the first portion and the second portion of the bottom electrode.
27. The protected organic optoelectronic device of
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1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to an organic optoelectronic device and in particular to a structure for minimizing the effects of a defective organic optoelectronic device.
2. Description of the Related Art
Electronic devices such as passive matrix displays, alpha-numeric displays, detector arrays, or solar cell arrays include multiple organic optoelectronic devices (“elements”). These elements can be, for example, organic light emitting diodes (“OLEDs”) (the OLEDs can be used in, for example, displays or as the light source elements of a light source), light detectors, and solar cells.
In the electronic device, one of the major reasons for its failure is an electrical short occurring in one or more of the elements. A short occurs when any imperfection in the element structure causes its cathode to be in direct contact (or very close proximity) with its anode resulting in an area of much lower resistance than the remaining area between the anode and the cathode. Shorts may occur in any of the layers forming the element and may be caused by, for example, substrate imperfections or asperities, anode layer irregularities, non-uniformity of the one or more organic layers, and airborne particles introduced in the element structure during handling.
In the electronic device, a short may result in several types of cross-talk depending upon the manner in which the device is driven. As an example,
For the foregoing reasons, there exists a need to isolate an individual defective element so that there is a visible defect only at the defective element thus minimizing the effect of this defective element on the electronic device.
Embodiments of the present invention are directed to, for example, minimizing the effect of a defective element on an electronic device. A first embodiment of the electronic device is described. This embodiment of the electronic device includes multiple organic optoelectronic devices and one of those optoelectronic devices has a top electrode and a bottom electrode. This embodiment of the electronic device also includes at least one current limiting device where at least one of: (1) a first one of the at least one current limiting device is coupled to the top electrode, and (2) a second one of the at least one current limiting device is coupled to the bottom electrode. Also, one of the electrodes of the particular one of the multiple organic optoelectronic devices, the first one of the at least one current limiting device, or the second one of the at least one current limiting device is patterned.
A first embodiment of a protected organic optoelectronic device is also described. This embodiment of the device includes a bottom electrode on a substrate, at least one organic layer on the bottom electrode, and a top electrode that includes: (1) a first portion of the top electrode, (2) a current limiting device on the first portion of the top electrode, and (3) a second portion of the top electrode on the current limiting device. Here, the current limiting device includes a fuse on the first portion of the top electrode, and a dielectric on the first portion of the top electrode that surrounds the fuse. The fuse couples together the first portion of the top electrode and the second portion of the top electrode.
A second embodiment of the protected organic optoelectronic device is described. This embodiment of the device includes a substrate and a bottom electrode that includes: (1) a first portion of the bottom electrode on the substrate, (2) a current limiting device on the first portion of the bottom electrode, and (3) a second portion of the bottom electrode on the current limiting device. The current limiting device includes a dielectric between the first portion and the second portion of the bottom electrode and also a fuse on the dielectric that couples together the first portion and the second portion of the bottom electrode. The protected organic optoelectronic device also includes at least one organic layer on the bottom electrode and a top electrode on the at least one organic layer.
A third embodiment of the protected organic optoelectronic device is also described. This embodiment of the device includes an organic optoelectronic device and at least one diode, where at least one of: (1) a first one of the at least one diode is coupled to the organic optoelectronic device, and (2) a second one of the at least one diode is coupled to the organic optoelectronic device.
An embodiment of an organic light emitting diode integrity checking system to disable questionable OLEDs within an OLED display is also described. This embodiment of the system includes: (1) an OLED testing system, (2) an OLED coupled to the OLED testing system where that OLED has a top electrode and a bottom electrode; and (3) a current limiting device coupled to one of the electrodes of the OLED. The OLED testing system reverse biases the OLED and if the OLED testing system detects a reverse leakage current higher than a preset value, then it outputs a current at a rate that causes the current limiting device to prevent current flow across the OLED.
An embodiment of the present invention pertains to an electronic device such as a passive matrix display or an alpha-numeric display. The electronic device includes multiple organic optoelectronic devices (“elements”) and one or more of these elements are protected from shorts. Each of the one or more elements that are protected from a short has one of its electrodes coupled to a first current limiting device and optionally has another electrode coupled to a second current limiting device. Also, one of the electrodes of the element, the first current limiting device, or the optional second current limiting device is patterned.
Depending on the configuration, the current limiting devices either one by itself or together prevent a short between the anode and the corresponding cathode. The current limiting devices prevents the short by acting as a fuse by creating an open circuit when the current flow across it is too high, or by decreasing the current flow across it when it is reverse biased. By doing this, one or both of the current limiting devices isolates the defective OLED pixel and eliminates or limits the current flow across the defective pixel thus eliminating or minimizing the cross-talk.
In
By isolating a shorted OLED pixel, the current limiting device prevents not being able to activate any of the OLED pixels in the display due to the short. For example, referring to
In other configurations of this embodiment, the bottom electrode is a common electrode while the top electrode is patterned or both the top and the bottom electrodes are common electrodes. Also, in other configurations, only one current limiting device is used, i.e., only the current limiting device 306 is coupled to the anode end of the OLED pixel 309, or only the current limiting device 312 is coupled to the cathode end of the OLED 309. If only one current limiting device is used and one electrode is a common electrode and the other electrode is patterned, then, preferably, that current limiting device is coupled to the patterned electrode side of the OLED pixel, otherwise, the advantage of having the common electrode is lost since the current limiting device is patterned on that side.
In other configurations of this embodiment, the bottom electrodes are multiple common electrodes while the top electrodes are patterned lead-in lines, or, both the top and the bottom electrodes each are multiple common electrodes. Also, in other configurations, only one current limiting device is used, e.g., only the current limiting device 406 is coupled to the anode end of the OLED pixel 409, or only the current limiting device 412 is coupled to the cathode end of the OLED pixel 409. If only one current limiting device is used and one side are multiple common electrodes while the other electrode is patterned as lead-in lines, then, preferably, that current limiting device is coupled to the patterned lead-in lines side of the OLED pixel, otherwise, the advantage of having the multiple common electrodes is lost since the current limiting device is patterned on that side.
In other embodiments of the electronic device, the electronic device is a detector array, a solar cell array, or a light source in which the multiple elements of the electronic device are light detectors, solar cells, or OLEDs respectively.
The current limiting device 515 includes a fuse 530 that is deposited on the first portion of the top electrode 521. A dielectric 527 is deposited around the fuse 530. The fuse 530 couples together the first portion of the top electrode 521 and the second portion of the top electrode 524. The fuse 530 interrupts the current flow between the two portions of the top electrode when the current flow is above a threshold value. Under normal operating conditions, the voltage drop across the fuse 530 is less than one volt, preferably less than 0.5 volt, and most preferably less than 0.2 volt. The fuse 530 interrupts current flow, i.e., the threshold value is reached when the current flow is greater than the current flow under normal operating conditions by a certain factor such as by a factor of ten, a factor of five, or a factor of two. The fuse 530 can be comprised of the same material as that of the bottom electrode or the top electrode. These electrodes are comprised of conductive materials such as indium tin oxide (“ITO”), aluminum, indium, silver, gold, magnesium, calcium, and barium or combinations thereof. Also, the fuse 530 can be comprised of a conducting material of variable resistance that is relatively good conductor under moderate current flow, but becomes highly resistive or non-conducting under high current flow (e.g., the high current flow occurs when the flow is greater than under normal operating conditions by a factor of ten, five, or two). Examples of this type of material include barium tintanate (BaTiO3). The dielectric 527 is, for example, photoresists, polyimides, metal-oxides, metal-nitrides, or metal-oxi-nitrides including silicon oxides and nitrides.
The organic optoelectronic device 601 also includes an organic stack 509 that is deposited on the second portion of the bottom electrode 618. The organic stack 509 includes one or more organic layer. The organic stack 509 can include, for example, emissive layers if the organic optoelectronic device is an OLED used in displays or light sources, or light-responsive layers if the electronic device is a light detector or a solar cell. A top electrode 624 is deposited on the organic stack 621. In this embodiment, the bottom electrode is the anode and the top electrode is the cathode or alternatively, the bottom electrode is the cathode and the top electrode is the anode.
In another configuration of this embodiment again only one diode is used; here, however, the anode of the OLED 816 is coupled to the cathode of the diode 819 (this configuration is shown above in
The first electrode 893 couples together the OLED 816 and the diode 819 (e.g., the first electrode 893 couples together the anode-end of the OLED 816 with the cathode-end of the diode 819 allowing current to flow across these two devices). The diode 819 includes a n-type material 905 that is deposited on the substrate 890 and this material is coupled to the first electrode 893. In addition to the n-type material 905, the diode 819 also includes a p-type material 908 that is deposited on the substrate 890. The n-type material 905 and the p-type material 908 when coupled together form a junction. A third electrode 911 provides a path for current flow to and from the anode-end of the diode 819. The dielectric 914 acts as an insulator to electrically separate the OLED 816 from the p-type material 908 and the third electrode 911, and also to separate the n-type material 905 from the organic stack 896 and the second electrode 899.
In one configuration of this embodiment, the diode is a silicon diode such as a p-i-n diode or a Schottky diode. In these diodes, the voltage drop is negligible under forward bias (the voltage drop is less than two volts, preferably less than one volt) while under reverse bias, a high resistance will prevent the flow of leakage current. Such silicon diodes can be made with low temperature polysilicon (“LTPS”), polycrystalline silicon, amorphous silicon, or single crystalline silicon.
In the case that the current limiting device is a silicon diode, referring back to
As any person of ordinary skill in the art of organic optoelectronic device fabrication will recognize from the description, figures, and examples that modifications and changes can be made to the preferred embodiments of the invention without departing from the scope of the invention defined by the following claims.
Antoniadis, Homer, So, Franky, Millard, Ian, Vo, Vung
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